Institutional and Informal Lobbying Practices: the Problem of Separation and Interpretation

Institutional and Informal Lobbying Practices:
the Problem of Separation and Interpretation


Lеvichеvа V.F.

Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Prof. ANPO to promote the development of civil society institutions “Fair World Institute”, Moscow, Russia levvf@mail.ru

ID of the Article:


For citation:

Lеvichеvа V.F. Institutional and Informal Lobbying Practices: the Problem of Separation and Interpretation. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2021. No 10. P. 50-60




Abstract

The article analyzes possibilities and limitations of institutional (including legislative) regulation of various consolidated representation and lobbying practices in interaction with government structures. Almost any legal institutional lobbying transaction will have its own inconspicuous twin reducing transaction costs in the public communications markets. Informal lobbying practices are used by all interest-based conglomerations, no matter how well established. In reality, laws can regulate only a small part of the behavioral diversity in the lobbying market, regardless of the state of a particular national legislation. The author identifies five reasons why formal and informal lobbying are complementary, and not interchangeable types of activities. The article describes the subjects of informal lobbying (including social networks).


Keywords
lobbying, institutionality; informal social interactions; informal practices; interest groups; regulation; institutional communications
Content No 10, 2021